Nature-based Climate Action Program
Nature-based Climate Action Program
Nature is one of the most powerful tools local governments have to address climate change, yet most communities lack the time, staff capacity, or technical resources to fully understand, value, and use the natural assets available in their own backyard. ICLEI Canada’s Nature-based Climate Action Program (NCAP) bridges that gap. Through a flexible, modular advisory program built around community-specific data and local knowledge, NCAP guides local governments through every stage of nature-based climate action. From assessing existing knowledge and programs to developing strategies, securing funding, and implementing actions, NCAP helps communities protect, restore, and invest in natural assets.
About NCAP
NCAP is a membership-based service offered by ICLEI Canada to support local climate action. With a focus on nature-based solutions (NbS), NCAP helps communities address climate change while protecting biodiversity, strengthening infrastructure, advancing equity, and building low-carbon resilient communities. It is designed to complement and enhance existing climate and asset management initiatives, and offers the flexibility to fit your community’s unique context, priorities, and pace. Whether you are just getting started or looking to deepen existing work, NCAP meets communities where they are.
A Five-Milestone Framework
- NCAP provides a clear, flexible five-milestone methodology for local climate action that centres nature and biodiversity.
- Municipalities can start working through the milestone process at any point depending on their readiness.
- NCAP uses a progressive modular service model that mirrors and complements that of the Building Adaptative Resilient Communities (BARC) and Partners for Climate Protection (PCP), allowing the option to integrate activities.
Become an NCAP Member to Get Support With:
- Biodiversity action plans
- Natural asset management
- NbS strategies & frameworks
- Stakeholder engagement
- Business case development
- Applied research
- BARC & PCP NbS add-ons
Reach out to learn more, ask questions, and discuss if NCAP is the right fit for your community. Email rena.viehbeck@iclei.org.
How It Works
NCAP provides members structured, expert support for communities to progress through a five-milestone framework. It combines local leadership with expert guidance to help move communities from early planning and action identification through to implementation and monitoring.
Milestone 1: Initiate
Scope project, define priorities, align departments, assess readiness and build a clear roadmap.
Milestone 2: Assess
Identify and understand natural assets, biodiversity, or green infrastructure using existing data.
Milestone 3: Plan
Translate the current status and the vision for local natural assets, biodiversity or green infrastructure into an implementable and aligned plan.
Milestone 4: Implement
Turn plans into actions, ensuring long-term project, policy, and program sustainability related to natural assets, biodiversity, green infrastructure and NbS.
Milestone 5: Monitor, Review, and Report
Track and share progress, measure results, and adjust based on lessons learned.
Every NCAP deliverable is co-developed and owned by municipalities—building long-term capacity, trust, and local buy-in—while ICLEI Canada provides expertise to support milestone activities.
Become an NCAP Member
Core services and benefits
Dedicated support
Dedicated ICLEI Canada expert hours, delivered virtually, to support your milestone activities.
Regular check-ins
Bi-weekly meetings with your liaison.
Expert guidance
Tools and custom materials
Access to templates, worksheets, and other customized materials created specifically to support you.
Milestone momentum
Review and analysis of milestone activities with tailored recommendations to maintain momentum.
Peer connections
Opportunities to connect and learn from a Canada-wide network of peers.
Optional Add-Ons
Pre-Milestone support
Receive support to make the case for and get buy-in from local decision-makers, and commit to developing and/or implementing an NCAP plan.
Facilitation
Receive professional facilitation from ICLEI Canada staff for workshops and meetings. This add-on includes the preparation of tailored slide decks and workshop materials, meeting preparations, as well as support to generate and integrate activity outputs into NCAP milestones.
Communications
Receive a tailored communications plan. This add-on includes nature-based climate communications training for staff and dedicated ICLEI Canada staff support to develop custom communications materials.
Outreach and Engagement
Receive a tailored outreach and engagement plan. This add-on includes dedicated ICLEI Canada staff support to develop tailored community and stakeholder engagement activities, materials, and summary reports. Dedicated support for working with local Indigenous communities for deepened engagement and co-design can also be added ($10K–$40K depending on scope and honourariums).
Research
Receive targeted research support to fill gaps in Milestones 1–3. This add-on includes benchmarking threats and challenges, data collection, data analysis, NbS, identifying best practices, and additional research based on your community’s priorities.
Technical support
Receive additional technical analysis, including ecosystem services, carbon storage & sequestration, or nature-based fiscal tools. Custom-designed interactive dashboards or story maps can also be created.
Membership Fee
- We recommend budgeting 18 to 24 months to complete Milestones 1–3, and an additional year for Milestones 4–5.
- ICLEI members receive a 15% discount on NCAP membership fees.
Optional Membership Add-Ons
- NCAP members can add optional services to bring more resources and dedicated staff capacity to their team at a discounted rate.
- Add-Ons start at $15,000 and increase based on project needs.
Alternative Tailored Support Service Model
NCAP consulting services are available for communities that want to move quickly and/or that lack the staff time or internal resources to manage the NCAP process themselves. Reach out to us to discuss service and pricing options.
Contact Us About NCAP
Email rena.viehbeck@iclei.org to explore how NCAP membership can fit your needs.
Reach us
iclei-canada@iclei.org
Suite 204
401 Richmond St. W
Toronto, ON
M5V 3A8
We respectfully acknowledge that ICLEI Canada’s work happens across Turtle Island which has traditionally been and is home to many diverse First Nations, Inuit, and Métis peoples since time immemorial.